earlier today, joe biden participated in an online chat on gun control. during the expression, he >>> in life, as we all know, there are no guarantees of success. not everyone is going to be able to be a combat soldier. but everyone is entitled to a chance. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was defense secretary leon panetta today as he overturned a 1994 ban on women serving in combat. the truth is american women have been in combat in both iraq and afghanistan, but they have been prevented from advancing to some higher ranking positions within the military. panetta said decisions going forward must not be made based upon gender but on qualifications. >> i fundamentally believe that our military is more effective when success is based solely on ability, on qualifications, and on performance. when i have gone to bethesda to visit wounded warriors and when i have gone to arlington to bury our dead, there is no distinction that's made between the sacrifices of men and women in uniform. they serve, they're wounded, and they die right next to each other. the